Folding bed for vehicles.



No. 623,48. Patented July I8, !899. T. LOTHERINGTON. FOLDING BED F08VEHICLES.

(Application filed Oct. 31, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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ilniTnn F FlCEt THOMAS LOTl-IERINGTON, OF DALLAS, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR ()FONE-FOURTH TO WILLIAM HENRY ZIEGLER, OF SAME PLACE. I

FOLDING BED FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,948, dated July 18,1899.

' Application filed October 31,1898. Serial No. 695,095. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LTHOMAS LOTHERINGTON, of Dallas, in the county ofDallas and State of Texas, have invented a new and Improved Folding Bedfor Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved folding bedfor vehiclessuch as wagons, cars, dzc.which is simple 1e and durable inconstruction and arranged to permit of conveniently and quickly placingthe bed in position on the running-gear of the wagon or removing ittherefrom and to allow of readily changing the bed from a wagon-box to adray or from a coal-car to a flat-car.

The invention consists of novel featuresand parts and combinations ofthe same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is to he had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indi catecorrespont ling parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of the bottom of the box. Fig. 3 is a similar view of one side ofthe box with part broken out,

and Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the improvement on the line 4 4 ofFig. 1.

The improved folding bed is provided with a bottom A, adapted to be setin the usual manner on the running-gear of the wagon or car, and on theunderside of said bottom are secured the transversely-extending endsupports 13 and B and the middle support B each made, preferably, ofband-iron, the ends projecting a suitable distance beyond the side edgesof the bottom A, said ends terminating in vertically-disposed lockingmembers B of which the locking members B of the end supports B B areformed with shoulders B and double shoulders B are formed on the lockingmembers B of the middle support B The projecting ends of the supports B13 B 5 are adapted to form rests for the lower ends of the sides G, theinner faces of which fit against the side edges of the bottom A, theouter faces fitting against the vertical looking members B of thesupports. (See Fig. 4.) Thus the sides C are supported on the supports13 B513 and are held against transverse movement by the vertical members13 0f said supports.

In order to securely lock the sidesin place and to prevent the same fromlongitudinal movement, I provide each side with barsD, each secured by ascrew or other means E to thesides 0. Each bar D is provided with aprojection or lug D', adapted to engage the corresponding shoulder B orB of the locking membersB as is plainly indicated in Fig.

1, to prevent the sides 0 from moving longitudinally on the supports B BB Each bar D is formed at its upper end with a hook D for engaging anotch'cut in the top edge of the corresponding side 0, and the lower endof each bar is provided with a transversely-extendin g arm D adapted torest against the under side of the bottom A.

Onthe ends of the sides 0 and at theinside thereof are arranged theusual vertically-disposed guideways F for receiving the end-gates G,adapted to be locked in place by transverse lockingpins of Husualconstruction. It is evident that by the arrangement described thesides 0 can be readily removed from the bottom A whenever desired byremoving the locking-bars D from the sides 0 to allow of lifting the.latter out of the supports B B 13 it being understood that the end-gatesG have previously been removed.

It will further be seen that the sides 0 can be placed in position andsecured in placeby the lock-bars I), which serve to securely hold thesides against longitudinal movement and at the same time assist thevertical members B to hold the sides in the proper and strong verticalposition to withstand pressure'of the load.

From the foregoing it will further be seen 0 that a wagon provided witha wagon-box as described can be readily changed into a dray by removingthe sides 0 and the end-gates Grin the manner described and a railroadcoal- -car provided with a box, as mentioned, can 5 be readily changedinto a flatcar in a like manner-that is, by removing the sides andend-gates.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent-- 1. A folding bed for vehicles, provided witha bottom, transverse supports for the sides and having vertical lockingmembers at their outer ends, box sides adapted to rest on said supportsand engaging theside edges of said bottom and the inner faces of saidvertical locking members, and lock-bars removably secured to saidsidesand adapted to engage the vertical locking members and the under side ofthe bottom, said vertical locking members and lock-bars having engagingshoulders and lugs, substantially as shown and described.

2. A folding bed for vehicles provided with a bottom, transversesupports for the sides and having vertical locking members at theirouter ends, box sides adapted to rest on said supports and engaging theside edges of said bottom and the inner faces of said vertical lockingmembers, and lock-bars relnovably secured to said sides and adapted toengage the vertical locking members and the under side of thebot-tom,each lock-barbeing formed at its upper end with ahook forengaging the corresponding side, the lower end of the lockbar beingformed with a transverse arm for engaging the under side of said bottom,substantially as shown and described.

3. In a vehicle, the combination of a bodybottom, vertically-extendinglocking members arranged at the sides of said bottom and projectingupwardly therefrom, the said looking members being provided withtransverse shoulders, sides for the body, and bars secured to the outersurfaces of the sides and provided with shoulders or lugs adapted toengage with the shoulders of the locking members when the sides are inperpendicular position, whereby to prevent the vertical displacement ofthe sides, and the locking members engaging with the bars to prevent thelongitudinal displacement of the sides.

THOMAS LOTHERINGTON.

\Vitnesses:

A. L. ELLIOTT, 'H. W. KELLY.

